Page 133 of Twilight Tears
But I care about my family.
Pavel wants me to back down so he can rise up when I least expect it. He wants me to lower my guard so he can strike. But I will not back down until Pavel is dead. I won’t stop fighting until the entire Gustev Bratva is dismantled from top to bottom, never to rise again.
I’m going to destroy them and scatter the ashes to the wind.
Nik is rolling back and forth across the room. My phone is flat on the desk between us.
“He wants peace the same way I want to shake his hand.” Dima’s voice comes through the speaker in crackles. Wherever he is, his service is shit.
Nik frowns. “I take it that means you don’t want to shake his hand?”
“Not unless I’m shaking it to make sure the fucker is dead,” Dima growls.
“Then we’re in agreement about the truce,” I say. “Great.”
“What did you tell him when he suggested it?” he asks.
“I agreed to it. I told him I wanted a fresh start. What I didn’t tell him is that my fresh start involves the entire Gustev Bratva being wiped off the map.”
“And his fresh start involves your destruction,” Dima points out. “There’s no way that little punk is actually looking for a truce. He’s trying to get you to lower your guard.”
“He’s young enough that I wouldn’t put it past him to think he could just call me up and broker peace, but you’re probably right.” I sigh.
Nik is looking down at his phone. Then he turns it so I can see. “Whoever lowers their guard loses the war. Doesn’t look like Pavel is lowering his guard.”
I tap on the screen to expand the picture. It’s from an unknown number. The photo is blurry like it was taken through a dirty window, but I can see Pavel standing in front of a group of men. They’re in a bare, shadowy corner of some room.
“When was that picture taken?”
“What picture?” Dima asks from the other end of the line.
“It’s a picture of Pavel meeting with his inner circle,” Nik explains. “A source just sent it to me. It’s time-stamped five minutes ago.”
“Location?” Dima demands.
“A warehouse downtown. They run underground poker games there. High-stakes shit. Oligarchs waste their time showing up, so it’s big money. I got a tip about it and have been watching for a while, but?—”
“I’m watching it right now,” Dima interrupts.
Nik and I look at each other.
“You’re there right now?” I ask.
He hums in confirmation. “I’m posted up outside. I’ve been watching cars filter in all morning. I got the same tip as Nikandr, apparently. I had some free time so I decided to do some surveillance. I figured it would be a good next target.”
“And now, we know Pavel is inside.” I stare at my brother, watching as he rolls back on his wheels. He’s balancing in the chair while I wait for him to understand what I’m suggesting.
Suddenly, Nik’s wheelchair drops to the floor, eyes wide. “We can’t pull together an attack like this right now. There isn’t enough time.”
“This might be our only chance.”
“He could go underground again if we don’t strike,” Dima agrees. “Even now, it’s pure fucking luck that Pavel is inside. I never saw him walk in. I have no clue how he got in there.”
Maybe he’s been sleeping there. It would make sense why no one has seen him around the Gustev Estate. He’s lying low, sleeping in some hollowed-out warehouse like the rat he is.
“If we want this to end, this might be our best shot for a good long while.”
Nik’s lips press together. He knows I’ll do this with or without his approval. Still, I’d like him to agree. He can’t charge into the building the way I know he wants to, but he can stay here and be our eyes. He can support me in every way he can.